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Liam clears his throat, playing with the baby’s fingers. “We should get back. It’s getting cold out and Lexi’s nose is red. You’ll never hear the end of it if it’s runny when we get home.”
We’re running late, since we stopped unexpectedly, but I want Lex to know everyone who loves her, even if they’re no longer on the same plane.
When we get home and walk through the door, Lennox is instantly there, snagging my baby girl from my arms, and bitching. “Where have you been? Dinner’s done and we’ve been waiting. And Lexi’s nose is running.” He growls, wiping her sniffles with the end of his shirt. “I’ll go get her ready, but don’t expect me to save you when she comes in this chilly.” He huffs like the mother hen he’s become and marches from the room, Lexxas laughing over his shoulder, and departing with a toothless grin.
“Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be home an hour ago. We’ve been waiting—and worried.” The quake in her voice has me spinning around.
The kitchen lights illuminate her beauty. She’s wearing one of my mother’s aprons and has a smudge of flour on her face. “Sorry, Kitten. We stopped to see mom and dad unexpectedly. Thought it’d be nice to introduce Lexxas to them.”
She purses her lips with understanding and nods. “We’ll stop by again tomorrow, like we planned.” She looks pointedly, playfully scolding me. “But we’ll bundle Lex better. It’s supposed to snow tonight.” A giant smile spreads across her lips in excitement.
I don’t have the heart to tell her it rarely snows in Louisiana, and they haven’t seen a white Christmas in over fifteen years. “Sounds good, baby. Anything you want.” Not waiting another second, I yank her into my arms and seal my lips with hers.
Her legs instantly turn to jello, allowing me to back her against the fridge, and deepen our kiss. Every time I see her, it’s a stark reminder that I could’ve lost her—more than once. My codependency is through the roof, but she’s patient with—well, every male in her life at this point.
Proving my point, Cash comes from the living room, rolling his eyes when he sees us. “Oh, for crying out loud! Will you let her be!” He swoops in and effectively steals her away. “Baby girl, come sit down, and let us serve you. You cooked all day with Kam. You deserve the rest of the night off.” He unties the apron from her waist, hanging it on Ma’s post in the kitchen, and then steers her toward the dining room table.
My heart swells with pride, watching as my brothers easily accept Avery as my wife, as if they’ve known her our entire lives. The moment she recovered from her injuries—we tied the knot, ensuring she’d officially be mine from that day forward.
When I suggested we move for a fresh start, I thought I’d meet some reluctance, but she surprised me, being completely onboard. Her dad opted to stay but travels to us often, like he did on this trip to our childhood home in Louisiana. This Christmas marks the first of many beginnings, and as I watch the playful banter of my family, I can’t wait to see what life has in store for us. As long as life doesn’t throw us any more curveballs and keeps the crazies away.
Avery
Kam and I cooked all day, while the rest of the guys played with Lexi, and kept each other busy. They were warned that if they entered the kitchen to dip their fingers, they’d lose said fingers. Kam promised they’d listen, suggesting that he may or may not have tried to sever Liam’s pinky a few years back. Since then, he’s not had to warn them twice. TheWTFlook that I throw him is partial respect, because I’m totally going to sic him on them should they interfere with my cooking in the future.
The attack has brought Kam and me closer, finding that Jaxton may help me parent Lexi, but Kam helps me parent the boys. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t check in with each of them, whether they’re at home with us, or off doing their own thing.
Lately, I’ve been prodding Kam about one of his chefs. He’s sweet on her, protective, but continues to say, “I don’t fuck where I eat.”Whatever the hell that means.
He was saved by the bell when Jax, Liam, and Cash returned with Lexi an hour after they were due home. He knows I’m fully onboard with their check-in rule and they failed miserably today, so he was all too eager to send me in their direction. Effectively redirecting his hot seat.
Even though we’re scheduled to visit the private cemetery where they buried their parents tomorrow, Jax wanted to stop by and introduce Lex. It’s been a while since the guys were down for a visit, so I completely understand the sense of urgency. Since Lennox took my baby for cleanup and handled their scolding as soon as they walked through the door, I let Liam guide me to the table. Everyone else joins us quickly.
Jaxton watches the family with a proud tilt to his lips from the kitchen doorway. After Sarah’s attack, he attached himself to my and Lex’s side. The only time—like today—that he’ll leave one or both of us is if we’re with family.
When Jaxton gained consciousness in the ambulance, he about tore the damn thing apart, screaming his worry about me and the baby. Luckily, Cash rode with him, and could calm him enough to finish the ride in peace, but once they arrived, all bets were off.
He crashed through the hospital door to my room like a bat out of hell, wabbling around like a baby gazelle, learning to walk. It took the medical staff a couple of hours to mend the knife wound, during which Lexxas went into distress, so they delivered her too. All seven pounds, three ounces came screaming into this world at exactly midnight. Since they delivered her while in surgery, Jaxton missed her birth, and they took her via c-section, robbing us of those experiences. Sarah’s actions will haunt us forever, but her depriving us of those memories is atrocious.
When the staff led Jax into the room, he dropped to his knees next to the bed with tears in his eyes, gripping my hand and begging for forgiveness. The guilt lying on his shoulders for believing he was the one to bring her into my life and lead me down our path of darkness was eating him alive.
After constant reassurance, something that he’ll never fully believe again, he climbed into bed with me. We watched over Lexxas while she slept, comparing her tiny features with ours, and naming her after several hours of contemplation.
After a few hours, the nurse on duty came in flustered, asking if my brothers could come back. They’d switched teams, fibbing that they were my brothers, and not Jaxton’s. There’s no way the staff believed them, but were nice enough to let several people in throughout the night and into the next day.
Jaxton proposed the day of my released and we were married a handful of hours later. No big wedding. No guest lists. Only close friends and family, just the way we wanted it. We celebrated the day with cheers, naps, and breastfeeding. We promised each other that we’d escape on a honeymoon at some point, but here we are several months later, and with no plans on the horizon.
My soft giggle draws Jax’s attention—like laser beams, his golden depths lock on mine, and heat with pleasure. The cocky-ass smile that stole my heart the moment he walked into my shop graces his lips. He struts around the table, causing my legs to scissor in anticipation of bedtime.
“Kitten,” Jax growls his endearment in a warning tone and leans closer to whisper, “Are you being a good girl?”
A whimper escapes with my reply. “Yes.”
“Good.” He kisses my cheek. “I’ll reward you later. Now, let’s get my predinner meal out of the way.” Half mocking my pregnancy snacking but also letting me know he plans on feasting on me later. He knows me well enough to not expect a denial as I turn to the table and beam, completely onboard with ending the night, and making everyone go to bed early. He chuckles at my eagerness and says a toast before announcing dinner.
Needing a distraction, I focus back on Kam, and our conversation from earlier about not fucking where he eats. Don’t get me wrong, Kam’s hot as hell with his midnight hair, golden eyes, and wicked smile, but—ew—I don’t like that saying.
Mind running a mile a minute, an evil gleam lights my eyes—one he catches as he passes the potatoes. He hangs onto the bowl, refusing to let me have the sacredest of all holiday dishes, while he double-takes.
